Arsenal: Takuma Asano Probably Better Off Forgotten

Arsenal signed two strikers this summer, although you may be forgiven for forgetting both. For Takuma Asano, being forgotten isn’t a bad thing.

Arsenal wished a very happy birthday to one of their newest members who happens to be a striker. And I do not mean Lucas Perez, I mean that other guy we signed, Takuma Asano, who recently scored his first goal over in the Netherlands.

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Gooners on social media were scratching their heads (jokingly of course… I think?) as to who exactly the man was that was pictured in the birthday message. Obviously it was Takuma Asano, but the point to be made is that he hasn’t exactly made it yet.

It may seem a bit cruel to be jokingly forgetting new Gunners, but in Asano’s case, being forgotten is probably the best possible thing at the moment.

It’s not that we have no faith in the Japanese striker to make it, it’s just that we’ve been here before. Arsene Wenger makes slick, under-the-radar signings for the future rather frequently and they rarely ever turn out.

Most of the time, they carry with them a bit of pomp and circumstance.

Naturally, Yaya Sanogo comes to mind. He was touted as the chosen one before bungling his way into Lord Bendtner territory. He dropped an atomic elbow while on loan at Charlton Athletic while also scoring a hat trick. Pretty clear the hype was misplaced.

A bit close to home, there was Ryo Miyaichi. The man would outrun Secretariat (when he was alive) but he couldn’t run into the Arsenal spectrum. Not once did he threaten to make a difference and he was sold off to a second tier continental side.

I have optimism that Takuma Asano won’t go down that road and part of the reason why is because he is clearly not carrying the hype those other two did. Mainly because this club is in a much better state than it was back then. A much better state.

We are getting a taste of what life with a speedy striker is like with Alexis and we are learning that Wenger will actually spend money on world class players so we don’t have to rely on Wenger pulling off slick signings of youth products of of people we’ve never heard of.

Next: Wenger's 10 Best Signings Ever

If it gets to the point that whatever Asano does is a bonus, which it might already be at, then we are in a good position.